


Bring down the tower!

by Fantasticoncer



Series: Unexpected soulmates [3]
Category: The Lord of the Rings - All Media Types
Genre: Adventure & Romance, Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Alternate Universe - Soulmates, Boromir Lives, Elemental Magic, F/M, Friendship, Modern Character in Middle Earth, Protective Aragorn, Protective Legolas Greenleaf, Romantic Soulmates, Soulmate-Identifying Marks
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-07-17
Updated: 2019-07-28
Packaged: 2020-06-30 07:08:59
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 11
Words: 17,885
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/19848115
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Fantasticoncer/pseuds/Fantasticoncer
Summary: The Fellowship has broken apart. Boromir survived, but left to protect the others against himself. Now, Grace, James, Eva, Gimli, Legolas and Aragorn have to protect the kingdom of Rohan against Saruman and his forces.In another part of Middle-Earth, Victoria has to keep Merry and Pippin safe as they meet a race of creatures that hasn't been seen in centuries.





	1. Separated

Disclaimer: I don't own anything that you recognise.

_Victoria_. 

After running for quite a while, the orcs suddenly stopped, giving the shaking that Victoria was going through a rest. She let out a very soft groan, getting a headache from hanging upside down. She heard Pippin calling her and Merry and slowly looked up a bit to reassure him that she was awake. Pippin tried to wake Merry up, but to no avail. He tried pleading with the orcs, only for them to pour the disgusting water, or whatever it was, down Merry's throat. 

The orcs all laughed as if it was the funniest joke in the world, before the leader walked over to Victoria and lifted her head up by her hair. She desperately fought the urge to wince in pain as she kept herself limp. "She's a pretty one, isn't she boys?" The orc asked, the others roaring in agreement. The orc let Victoria's head fall back and walked past her. A few seconds later, he smelt something.

"What is it? What do you smell?" Another orc asked. "Man flesh. They've picked up our trail." The leader said, before ordering to move. Victoria groaned as the shaking picked up again. ' _Why can't I be as small as a hobbit.'_ She thought as the orcs carried them further. Pippin grabbed the leaf shaped clasp of his cloak with his teeth and dropped it on the ground in the hope that his friends would find it

_Grace James and Eva._

For three days, they had chased the orcs that had taken their friends. Gimli could barely keep up and even James and Eva were getting tired, but they couldn't give up. The three humans from earth wondered why Victoria hadn't escaped with Merry and Pippin yet, but figured that the orcs were with too many. They found the leaf clasp that Pippin had dropped. Realising that their friends could still be alive, they continued on.

They arrived at the border of Rohan. Legolas squeezed Eva's hand, before going forward to scout. "Legolas, what do your Elf-eyes see?" Grace asked before Aragorn could, giving her soulmate a smirk at his unamused look, knowing that he had been about to ask the same thing. "The Uruks turn northeast. They're taking the hobbits and Victoria to Isengard." Legolas answered and the humans from earth had to suppress their smirks. 

"Kind off a different line than what we're used to." James muttered to Eva, who quickly shushed him. They were about to continue on, when Gimli spoke up. "I don't understand. Why does Grace not just fly over and get our friends back?" He asked, making Legolas and Aragorn stop in their tracks. Grace simply sighed. "Gimli, did your father tell you where we actually come from?" She asked.

Gimli nodded. "Yes, he did. Just before we left. Something about a different world where we are fictional characters, which is nonsense if you ask me. I'm as real as you are." He stated, patting his arm. Grace smiled at the dwarf. "You are real here, but you were a fictional character in our world." She said. "We aren't doing anything to save them, because we promised the Valar to make things go as close as they're supposed to as possible, no matter how much we want to change things." She told him.

"Besides, in the long run, the capture of Victoria. Merry and Pippin might just turn out in our favour." She continued as they started to run again. Gimli frowned at her back in disbelief. "How?!" He asked loudly. "Spoilers!" Grace called back over her shoulder and Aragorn sighed at hearing the familiar word. "Better get used to that word, Gimli. She uses it a lot." He advised as they ran on. 

_Victoria_. 

That night, Victoria, Merry and Pippin were finally put down on the ground and the two hobbits quickly crawled to their friend. "We're not going no further, until we've had a breather." One of the orcs complained. While the orcs were busy getting a fire going, Victoria looked down at the hobbits. "Are you alright?" She whispered, looking at Merry in concern as he had a small wound on his head. 

"We're fine. What about you?" Merry whispered back. "I'm fine." Victoria replied with a smile, thinking of what Gandalf once said: _"hobbits never cease to surprise you."_ They heard the groaning coming from the nearby trees as the orcs were cutting them down. Merry talked about how some people believed that some trees could talk and move. Victoria had to suppress a smile, knowing that those stories were true. 

Merry looked up at his friend. "Victoria, can't you get us out of here? Can't you burn through the rope or something?" He asked and Victoria sighed. "I could, but there are too many orcs. We would need some kind of distraction for us to get out of here." She whispered. "I'm starving. We ain't heard nothing, but maggoty bread for three stinking days." One of the orcs complained loudly, throwing such a piece of bread on the ground. 

"Yeah! Why can't we have some meat?!" Another orc asked, before noticing the trio on the ground. "What about them? They're fresh." It leered, looking down on them. Despite being bound, Victoria growled loudly. "Back off, ugly Nori!" She hissed, before the leader interrupted. "They are not for eating." It told the second orc, before Victoria, Merry and Pippin were pulled back by their cloaks.

"What about their legs? They don't need those." Another orc commented, trying to get closer, but the leader stopped them. "The prisoners go to Saruman. Alive and unspoiled." It said. They believed that the two hobbits had the Ring. Ugly Nori tried to sneak up the trio from behind, but the leader cut its head off, before it could attack the trio. "Looks like meat's back on the menu, boys." The leader said and the orcs dove on the carcass. 

The trio was pushed down and they quickly started to crawl away. One of the orcs grabbed Merry and went to kill him, before Victoria surged forwards, burned rope falling from her wrists and grabbed its head. She harshly twisted it, breaking its neck. Just a few seconds after that, riders on horses entered the scene and started to kill the orcs. Victoria quickly burned Merry and Pippin's ropes.

She burned the grass in a certain pattern, lifted the hobbits up in her arms and ran into the forest, now that the orcs were preoccupied. She knew that the riders were on their side, but it was important for Merry and Pippin to be in this forest. She looked around and saw one of the orcs following her. She put the two hobbits down. "Find a tree and climb it. Quickly!" She ordered, the hobbits quickly obeying. She had no idea which one of the trees was Treebeard, so she hoped that the hobbits would pick the right one in all the commotion. 

"Hey, ugly head!" She called, blowing a raspberry at the orc and running away, keeping its attention on her. The orc followed her, until she tripped over a root and fell. She rolled over and saw the orc standing over her and above it, a worried Merry and Pippin in the tree. ' _Please be Treebeard. Please be Treebeard. Please be Treebeard.'_ She whispered in her head, before focusing herself on the orc. 

"Victoria!" Pippin shouted, only to see eyes in the tree that they had climbed. Realising that the tree had a face and was moving, Merry and Pippin almost fell from their spots, only for the moving tree to catch them. The orc standing over Victoria hadn't noticed anything yet. "Say goodbye, pretty girl." It leered, raising its weapon. Victoria simply grinned. "Goodbye." She said with all the calm in the world. 

This confused the orc, until Victoria silently told it to look over its shoulder. Doing so, the orc saw its fate, right before it was stomped on by the moving tree. Victoria quickly stood up. Holding Merry and Pippin in one hand, Treebeard leaned down and grabbed her as well, looking at the three creatures that it had in its hand. "Little orcs." It growled. Pippin looked at the creature in shock. 

"It's talking, Merry, Victoria. The tree is talking." He said, freaking out. This angered their new captor. "Tree?! I am no tree! I am an Ent." Treebeard told them. "You're Treebeard, right?" Victoria asked, surprising him. "How do you know how some people call me?" He asked. "We're no orcs, master Treebeard. I'm a human and Merry and Pippin are hobbits. We're friends of the White Wizard." She told him. 

"What?!" Merry and Pippin said at the same time, Victoria quickly hushing them. "Hmm, never heard of a hobbit before. Sounds like orc mischief to me, but if you say that you're friends with the White Wizard, then he will know the truth." Treebeard said, before suddenly dropping them on the ground in front of a man in a white robe. Merry and Pippin were shocked, but Victoria simply smiled. 

"Hello, old friend."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Another part of the journey starts. Buckle up everybody!
> 
> Fun fact: the "why can't we have some meat" orc is played by the same guy who plays Nori, hence Victoria's nickname. Its voice isn't his, though. That would be Andy Serkis (Gollum)
> 
> Read and review. See you next time.


	2. Reuniting with an old friend.

Disclaimer: I don't own anything that you recognise.

The group hunting the orcs ran across a field at dawn, Legolas noting that a red sun was rising, indicating that blood had been spilled that night. After several more hours of running, they came across the riders of Rohan, led by the king's nephew Éomer. After Aragorn caught their attention, the riders turned around and surrounded them, pointing their spears at them. Aragorn and Legolas quickly pulled their soulmates behind them. 

"What business do two men, two women, an elf and a dwarf have in the Riddermark?" Éomer asked harshly, not that Grace, James and Eva could blame him. "Give me your name, horse-master and I shall give you mine." Gimli said, before they could say anything. Éomer dismounted and walked towards Gimli. "I would cut off your head, dwarf, if it stood but a little higher from the ground." He threatened. 

Angered, Legolas went to nock an arrow, only to realise that Eva and James had grabbed his wrists to prevent him from doing exactly that. He glanced at his soulmate and she shook her head. He sighed and nodded, relaxing again. Grace and Aragorn shared a look and she gave him a nod, telling him that they could trust the man "I am Aragorn, son of Arathorn. This is my soulmate, Grace, Gimli, son of Gloin, Legolas of the woodland realm, his soulmate Eva and her brother James." He introduced the group. 

"We are friends of Rohan and of Théoden, your king." He continued. Éomer looked down at this. "Théoden no longer recognises friend from foe. Not even his own kin." He said, pulling off his helmet. "Saruman has poisoned the mind of the king and claimed lordship over these lands. My company are those loyal to Rohan and for that, we were banished." He continued, before talking about Saruman.

At hearing him talking about spies, Aragorn quickly spoke up. "We are no spies. We're tracking a party of Uruk-hai westward across the plain. They have taken three of our friends captive." He told the banished man. Éomer told them that the orcs were destroyed by them. "But there were two hobbits and a human woman. Did you see two hobbits and a human woman with them?" Gimli asked desperately.

"The hobbits were as small as children in your eyes and Victoria is of average height." Aragorn continued and Éomer looked down, knowing that the chance of them living was small. "We left none alive. We piled the carcasses and burned them." He said softly and pointed to said burning pile. Seeing the shock on the faces of Aragorn, Gimli and Legolas, he sincerely apologised and brought forward three horses. 

"May these horses bear you to better fortune than their former masters." He said solemnly, before climbing back on his own horse. "Go look for your friends, but do not trust to hope." He told them, before riding away with his company. Sharing a look, Aragorn, Legolas, Eva, Gimli and James climbed on the horses and rode to the burning piles, Grace unfolding her new glider and flying overhead. 

Arriving at the pile, Gimli searched the remains with his axe. Grace kept flying around the site, looking for something. She suddenly noticed something in the grass. "Guys!" She called loudly, before landing at the spot. Everyone quickly ran towards her and saw what she was pointing at: a burned patch of grass in the shape of an arrow, pointing at the bordering forest. They all knew who was responsible for that.

"They're still alive." Gimli breathed. Legolas sighed in relief and held Eva close, nuzzling her hair. She smiled and hugged him. "Yes, they are." She said, before Gimli looked up as they started to walk into the forest. "I have to ask something. If all of you were together, would you be able to defeat Saruman?" He asked and Grace, James and Eva all made faces. "We're not sure. He is very powerful and his magic is different." James replied. Grace chuckled dryly. "We would probably need a White Wizard of our own to match him." She said 

Gimli scoffed. "Yes, but that's not going to happen anytime soon, so we might as well look at other options." He muttered as they walked deeper into the forest. Grace tried desperately to stop herself from smiling and quickly looked away at seeing Aragorn's head turn to her, humming innocently. They found orc blood and strange tracks on the ground. The trees started to groan and Gimli went to raise his axe, but James stopped him and shook his head.

"You don't want to anger the trees." He warned. Gimli slowly lowered his axe again. Walking further, Legolas warned Aragorn that something was out there in Elvish and Grace stopped next to the siblings, the three of them sharing a glance. "Should we tell them?" She asked in a soft tone. Eva and James thought for a second, before shaking their heads. "Nah. They wouldn't believe us." Eva whispered back as the two women walked closer to their soulmates

They knew them them well enough that they would want them close as "Saruman" came closer. They were in so much trouble after this, they just knew it. "What do you see?" Aragorn whispered in Elvish. "The White Wizard approaches." Legolas replied in English, stepping closer to Eva. Aragorn stiffened and immediately walked to Grace. "Do not let him speak. He will put a spell on us." He ordered softly

He grabbed his sword and pulled it out slightly. Gimli gripped his axe and Legolas readied an arrow. "We must be quick." Aragorn whispered, before whirling around to face their "enemy." Grace, Eva and James pretended to be blinded by the white light shining, giving them an exuse not to attack. The figure easily deflected the axe from Gimli and the arrow from Legolas, before making Aragorn's sword really hot, forcing him to drop it.

Aragorn and Legolas immediately pulled Grace and Eva behind them, not noticing how they were actually really calm, considering the situation. "You are tracking the footsteps of two young hobbits and a woman." The figure said, his face invisible in the light and his voice sounding like Saruman. "Where are they?" Aragorn asked, keeping a tight grip on Grace. He would not let Saruman get to her, even if it cost him his life. Besides him, Legolas was thinking along the same lines as he kept Eva right behind him and looked at the figure.

"They passed this way, the day before yesterday. They met someone that the hobbits did not expect. Does that comfort you?" The figure asked in an extremely vague way. Grace smirked at the indirect mention that Victoria hadn't been shocked at all. "Who are you? Show yourself!" Aragorn demanded. The figure stepped in front of the light and the they could finally see his face. It was Gandalf.

Grace, James and Eva beamed at seeing their old friend, good as new. "It cannot be." Aragorn breathed, looking at Grace and seeing her smile. "Forgive me. I mistook you for Saruman." Legolas said, kneeling on the ground. "I am Saruman. Or rather, Saruman as he should have been." Gandalf replied. Aragorn still couldn't fully believe it. "You fell." He whispered, stepping closer to the wizard. 

They listened as Gandalf told them about how he had defeated the Balrog, before being sent back to fulfill his task. At the end of the story, he re-introduced himself as Gandalf the White and Gimli gasped in realisation. "That's what you were talking about!" He shouted, looking at Grace. She gave him a mischievous smirk back. "Ow!" She exclaimed as Aragorn cuffed her on the back of her head. 

"That was for not telling me." He told her and she gave him an unrepentant smirk back. "Sorry, not sorry." She said and the others chuckled at their actions. Legolas gave his soulmate a half-hearted glare and she gave him the same unrepentant smirk back. Leading the way, Gandalf started to speak. "One stage of your journey is over. Another begins. We must travel to Edoras with all speed." He told them

"We hear of trouble in Rohan. It goes ill with the king." Aragorn said. "Yup and it is all Chucky's fault." Grace said, Aragorn and Gandalf giving her confused looks. "Reference to our world. Never mind." She told them and Aragorn gave her a smirk. "Ugh, I hate Wormtongue." Eva murmured, having heard their conversation. Legolas looked down at her. "Who is he?" He asked and Eva shrugged. 

"Well, to sum him up: "if he's evil and you know it, clap your hands."" She said with a fake cheer, she, James and Grace clapping their hands twice at the same time. Gimli decided to speak up. "Am I the only one, who realises that we have come all this way for nothing?" He asked, before starting to insult the forest, but stopping at hearing the trees groan again and quickly adjusting his words. Gandalf turned to him. 

"It was more than mere chance that brought Victoria, Merry and Pippin to Fangorn. A great power has been sleeping here for many long years. The coming of Victoria, Merry and Pippin will be like the falling of small stones that will start an avalanche in the mountains." Gandalf told them and Aragorn smiled. "In one thing, you haven't changed, dear friend. You still speak in riddles." He said, making the wizard laugh. 

"I'm pretty sure that's just Gandalf, no matter what colour he is wearing." Grace said, making them laugh even more. They started to walk towards the edge and Gandalf whistled loudly. Soon after, a beautiful horse ran towards them. It was Shadowfax, lord of all horses and an old friend of Gandalf. Seeing everyone getting on their horses, Grace was about to unfold her glider, but Gandalf stopped her. "It's better if you ride with Aragorn. We don't want to inform our enemy that we're coming." He told her

She reluctantly agreed, putting her folded glider into the holster on her back that Galadriel had given her and climbing in the saddle behind Aragorn, wrapping her arms around his waist. Eva was sitting behind Legolas and Gimli behind James. As soon as everyone was seated, they left the forest behind them and raced to Edoras at top speed. Another part of their journey had begun

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Another fun fact: the guy who plays Wormtongue, also plays Chucky in the child's play movies, but I'm sure a lot of you already knew that. 
> 
> Read and review. See you next time


	3. Kings and wizards

Disclaimer: I don't own anything that you recognise.

Gandalf and his companions raced through Middle-Earth on their way to Edoras. During the ride, they saw a village in the distance, completely burned to the ground. Aragorn's mouth tightened at seeing it and he felt Grace tightening her grip and body her face into his back, not wanting to look anymore. He carefully let go of the reins with one hand and squeezed one or hers with it. 

Eva had also turned her head the other way, hating the sight. Looking up a bit, she saw Legolas look at her over his shoulder in concern and followed Grace's example of burying her face into her soulmate's back. Legolas sighed and glanced at the burning village. It was too late for them, but hopefully they were in time to save the rest of Rohan. One night, while they had set up camp, Aragorn went to talk with Gandalf, leaving a sleeping Grace under the watchful eyes of Legolas.

After a bit of talking, Gandalf turned to the ranger. "Sauron fears you, Aragorn. He fears what you may become, especially with the help of your soulmate. I know what you dream about. Sauron will do his best to make the vision come true." Gandalf warned him and Aragorn looked down, his hands curling into fists. He would not let Sauron lay a finger on his _Eruanna_. He would protect her until his last breath. 

Gandalf continued to talk about how Rohan was about to fall and how Sauron and Saruman had no idea where the Ring was, giving them a slight advantage. Aragorn told him that Sam had gone with Frodo and the wizard was happy to hear that. Going back to sleep, Aragorn carefully pulled the sleeping Grace in his arms, reassuring himself that she was safe. The next day, they continued on and finally saw Edoras in the distance. 

Arriving at the gates, they finally slowed down the horses. "How bad is this Wormtongue?" Aragorn asked. "Remember Alfrid?" Grace asked in return, smiling at hearing her soulmate's groan. "Imagine him, but ten times worse." She continued in a fake cheerful tone. "Fantastic." Aragorn muttered sarcastically, before looking up and seeing someone standing in front of the biggest house of the city. 

"That's Éowyn. The king's niece. She was infatuated with you in the books and movies." Grace whispered, seeing what he was looking at. Aragorn almost missed the slight tightening of her grip at the last sentence, but he managed to feel it. He looked at her over his shoulder. _"You are mine and I am yours."_ He whispered in Elvish. Grace smiled at him, before resting her cheek against his shoulder. 

Arriving at the house, they were stopped before they could go in and were forced to hand over their weapons. Gandalf pretended that his staff was a walking stick and the captain let them in, clearly just as fond of Wormtongue as they were. Aragorn's nose wrinkled slightly as he looked at what had to be the disgusting man himself. "He really is worse than Alfrid." He muttered to Grace.

She gave him a small smile, staying close to him for now. The brainwashed king slowly asked why he should welcome them. "A just question, my liege. Late is the hour in which this conjurer chooses to appear. Láthspell I name him. After al, ill news is an ill guest." The disgusting man said, walking closer until he was standing right in front of Gandalf. Aragorn noticed some shady men following them, clearly ready to fight. 

"Be silent. Keep your forked tongue behind your teeth. I have not passed through fire and death to bandy crooked words with a witless worm." Gandalf hissed, showing him his staff. This was the sign for the shady men to attack, but the humans, dwarf and elf had no trouble subduing them as Gandalf walked closer to Théoden and "attempted" to free him from the spell, pretending to still be Gandalf the Grey. 

Gimli held an already lying Wormtongue to the ground with his foot as Théoden started to let out an evil laugh. "You have no power here, Gandalf the Grey." He taunted, before Gandalf threw off his grey robe and showed his true colours, literally. "Surprise, you bastard." Grace muttered and her friends laughed softly, before going quiet. Gandalf started to release the king from Saruman's hold.

Éowyn tried to intervene, but James stopped her. "If I go, Théoden dies." Saruman's voice said, coming out of the king's mouth. Gandalf called his bluff and cast him out. Éowyn broke free and ran to her uncle, whose appearance was getting younger with the second. "I'm not making the reference." James muttered as they watched uncle and niece reunite. "Me neither." Eva replied and Grace shook her head in agreement. Aragorn and Legolas gave them confused looks, but let it go

With his niece's help, Théoden stood up from his throne for the first time in probably a long time. Grabbing his sword again, Théoden left a smile show, before glaring at Wormtongue. "And now: one of my favourite moments in the movies." Grace whispered as two guards grabbed the disgusting man and literally threw him out the door and down the steps. Théoden slowly walked down the stairs with his sword, obviously still weak. 

"I've only ever served you, my lord." Wormtongue stated and the humans from earth all scoffed at the same time. Théoden heard it and had to agree with them. "Your leechcraft would have had me crawling on all fours like a beast!" He spat, before going to kill him. However, Aragorn stopped him before he could. "Enough blood has been spilled on his account." The ranger advised. Wormtongue tried to run, but Grace pulled him back by his cloak. 

"Can't we lock him up or something? He'll run straight back to Saruman." She stated, glaring at the vile man. "Let him go, Grace." Aragorn told her. With a scowl, Grace reluctantly manoeuvred them both, until she was behind the disgusting man and quickly brought her leg forward, literally kicking his ass down the rest of the stairs. "Always wanted to do that." She muttered, before returning to her soulmate.

"Hail, Théoden king!" One man called, all inhabitants of Edoras kneeling before their king. Aragorn and Grace kneeled as well. Turning around, Théoden asked where his son was. Eva looked down at this, knowing that the prince had been another soul that they had been unable to save. Legolas grabbed her hand and squeezed it, reminding her that it wasn't her fault. She gave him a tiny smile.

Soon after, there was a funeral procession for the prince. The humans, Gandalf, Gimli and Legolas all took part in it. The mood was extremely sombre. Even the usually upbeat Grace was solemn as she mentally cursed Saruman in her head. Walking back to the castle, leaving the king alone to mourn and making sure that no one else was listening, James turned to Eva and Grace. "Do you think that our parents had bodies to bury?" He asked in a soft tone. Both women gave him an unamused look and he quickly lifted his hands to show that he meant no harm. 

"I'm just saying. We got in a car crash and we were suddenly here. Did our bodies disappear with us? Did the Valar give us new bodies? Who knows." He said. Grace gave him another look. "I really don't want to think about it." She muttered, before going to walk next to Aragorn. She needed his comfort right now. The male ranger wrapped an arm around her and pulled her close, sensing her distress. 

"It's alright, Grace. I'm here." He whispered, kissing her temple. Seeing how upset Grace was, Legolas immediately checked up on Eva, walking next to her and grabbing her hand. Eva gave him a smile in gratitude as they walked into the castle. Her smile didn't stay long as she realised that the troubles of this country were far from over. She squeezed her soulmate's hand as they sat down and waited for the king to return.

When he did, it was with Gandalf and a young boy and girl, whose village had been attacked. "They had no warning. They ate unarmed. Now the Wild Men ate moving through the Westfold, burning as they go." Éowyn stated. Aragorn and Legolas shared a look, Grace writing something down on a piece of parchment while listening to Gandalf trying to convince Théoden to fight back. 

"You have 2000 good men riding north as we speak. Éomer is loyal to you. His men will return and fight for their king." Aragorn stated and Théoden stood up. "They will be 300 leagues from here by now. Éomer cannot help us. I know what it is you want from me, but I will not bring further death to my people. I will not risk own war." He stated. Aragorn tried to give his opinion, but Théoden turned him down harshly.

"When last I looked Théoden, not Aragorn, was king of Rohan." He stated, glaring at the ranger. Grace scowled and slid the piece of parchment that she had been writing on towards Eva and James. ' _Last I looked, Aragorn didn't get his brain washed by an evil wizard.'_ The parchment said, the sarcasm almost jumping from the page. Eva smirked and grabbed a quill, writing something else on it and sliding it back to Grace.

 _'Or trusted a guy named Wormtongue.'_ Was added and Grace hid her smile behind her hand. During their nonverbal conversation, Théoden had decided to evacuate the city to Helm's Deep for safety, deeming Edoras too vulnerable. The humans from earth shared a look, knowing exactly what would happen at the fortress: one of the biggest battles that they had ever seen. They sighed, but kept quiet. They knew that Théoden wouldn't believe them if they tried to tell him that he was walking straight into a trap. 

Walking towards the stables where Shadowfax was waiting, Grace turned to Gandalf and offered to go and find Éomer, but Gandalf refused the offer. "It's better if you stay close to Aragorn and your friends and maybe stay on the ground for now." He advised and Grace reluctantly nodded. Giving a last few instructions to Aragorn, Gandalf left on Shadowfax. They watched him go, hoping that he would be back on time

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Pretty serious and sombre chapter. I promise that tomorrow's chapter will be more cheerful as we go back to Victoria, Merry and Pippin.
> 
> Read and review. See you next time


	4. Ents and Disney songs

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Hakuna ma- what now?

Disclaimer: I don't own anything that you recognise.

Victoria, Merry and Pippin were being carried around by Treebeard, the hobbits on his shoulders and Victoria on a U shaped stump growing from his back. The Ent was telling them poems and they were slowly lulling the hobbits to sleep. Even Victoria had to suppress a yawn every now and then. She tried to stay awake but she was tired. "Is it much further?" Merry finally asked once Treebeard was done with his poem. 

"Don't be hasty. You might call it far, perhaps. My home lies deep within the forest near the foot of the mountain. I told Gandalf that I would keep you safe. And safe is where I'll keep you." Treebeard told them. "And we appreciate if, don't we?" Victoria asked the hobbits with a smile and Merry and Pippin nodded in agreement. Treebeard smiled at them, before starting another poem.

Once he was done, he noticed that the hobbits were asleep and Victoria was halfway there as well. Carrying them to an open spot in the forest, he gently put Merry and Pippin down, before helping a sleepy Victoria down as well. Victoria went to lie down in-between the two hobbits, both Merry and Pippin leaning closer to her in their sleep. Holding them both in her arms, Victoria started to fall asleep as well, hearing Treebeard's parting words

"Sleep, little Shirelings and human. Heed no nightly noise. Sleep till morning light. I have business in the forest. There are many to call. Many that must come. The Shadow lies on Fangorn. The withering of all woods is drawing near." He said, Victoria heard him walking away, before falling asleep, getting her first good night's sleep in several days. Nothing disturbed the three figures as they slept the night away. 

The next morning, Victoria was woken up by Pippin getting up. Carefully putting Merry to the ground, she sat up as well. "Pippin, stay away from the water. It's not for little hobbits." She warned, rubbing her eyes. "But I'm thirsty." The hobbit protested. Victoria gave him her water skin, happy that the orcs hadn't stolen it. "Here, you can have it." She muttered. Pippin quickly took it, before hesitating.

"What about you?" He asked. "I already had some." Victoria lied. Pippin narrowed his eyes. "No, you haven't." He stated, handing it back and crossing his arms. It was clear that he would not drink, until Victoria had. She smiled and took a few sips, before giving it to Pippin again. This time, the hobbit did drink from it, before Victoria glanced at the sleeping Merry. "Want to play a little prank on Merry?" She asked. 

She wanted the hobbits to forget about the war for just a few minutes. Pippin immediately nodded happily and Victoria took him to the other side of the water basin at the side of the open spot and kneeled down behind it with Pippin, just as Merry finally woke up. He called for Treebeard, but there was no answer. Looking around, he saw that he was alone and frantically called Victoria's and Pippin's names

Pippin popped up at the other side of the basin. "Oh, hello Merry. Good to see you awake." He said happily, before drinking some water. "Where's Victoria?" Merry asked and Pippin shrugged. "I don't know, but she can't be that far." He replied. Merry looked him up-and-down. "Pippin, you're taller than me." He said in shock, before walking around the basin and seeing the cause: Pippin sitting on the shoulders of a kneeling Victoria. 

The woman laughed at seeing her friend's face. "Oh, Merry. You should see your face." She laughed as she got up with Pippin still on her shoulders. "And now, I'm way taller than you." Pippin taunted from his place. Rolling her eyes, Victoria walked back around to the open spot and sat down on the grass, putting Pippin back down on the grass in front of her. Merry tried to look unamused, but he couldn't hide his smile. 

Pippin told them about a dream that he had, before muttering about how he would love to have some pipe weed. He turned to Victoria. "Is there anything that you would want from where you're from?" He asked, Gandalf having told them that Victoria and her friends came from a different world. "A nice shower. I love baths, but it was always nice to jump in the shower for a few minutes and be clean again." The woman answered. 

She yelped as Pippin splashed some water from the small basin at her. "Why you little..." She muttered, before grabbing Pippin into a headlock and rubbing her knuckles over his scalp. "I yield! I yield!" Pippin squeaked, before Victoria let him go with a laugh. Merry smiled at his friends, before something came to his mind. "Does your world have songs too?" He asked. Victoria let out a small laugh. 

"Of course." She replied. "Are there any songs that describe us?" Merry asked again The woman smiled. "Well, when I look at the two of you, there's only one song that comes to my mind and it fits the two of you perfectly." She told them. "Which one is that?" Pippin asked, he and Merry sitting down across from the woman. _"Hakuna Matata."_ Victoria answered. _"Hakuna Ma_ \- what?" Merry asked.

 _"Hakuna Matata._ It means "no worries."" Victoria explained with a laugh, before clearing her throat and opening her mouth. _"Hakuna Matata! What a wonderful phrase. Hakuna Matata! Ain't no passing craze."_ She started to sing, beginning to use her own legs as drums for the beat. Merry and Pippin slowly started to bounce along, swaying back-and-forth on the music as Victoria continued.

_It means no worries_

_For the rest of your days_

_It's our problem-free philosophy_

_Hakuna Matata!_

Victoria briefly stopped singing and made a face as the remembered the next part, before looking at Merry and Pippin. "The next part of the song really makes no sense without context... or in general, so I'm going to go to the next refrain and skip it completely." She explained and the hobbits nodded in understanding, before she continued again.

_Hakuna Matata!_

_What a wonderful phrase_

_Hakuna Matata!_

_Ain't no passing craze_

_It means no worries_

_For the rest of your days_

_It's our problem-free philosophy_

_Hakuna Matata!_

At this, Victoria looked at her friends with a smile. "You guys want to sing along?" She asked. At seeing them hesitate, she chuckled. "It's really easy. I promise." She told them. Pippin finally agreed to sing along and Merry followed his example. Victoria smiled, before repeating the two famous words, starting in a whisper, before getting louder and Merry and Pippin started to sing along by repeating the words. 

_Hakuna Matata_

_Hakuna Matata_

_Hakuna Matata_

_Hakuna Matata_

_Hakuna Matata_

_It means no worries_

_For the rest of your days_

_It's our problem-free philosophy_

_Hakuna Matata_

Once the song was over, Victoria applauded the two hobbits. "Well done, guys." She said. "Well, that song really did fit us as you said." Pippin noted. "What about you, Victoria?" Merry asked and Victoria scoffed. "If I was a song like that, I would be "Someday my prince will come" if anything." She said bitterly. This wait was driving her crazy. Merry and Pippin smiled at her in sympathy, before Pippin spoke up again. 

"What about Thorin Oakenshield? You travelled with him, didn't you?" He asked and Victoria laughed. "Yes, we did and I once again know the perfect song to describe him." She said, thinking of the stubborn dwarf and hoping that he and the others were alright. She knew that there was/ would be a big battle in front of Erebor. Shaking her head, she smiled at her friends and started to sing a slightly changed version of the song, changing her voice at some parts to imitate Zazu or in this case Gandalf. 

_I'm gonna be a mighty king_

_So enemies beware_

_Well, I've never seen a king of dwarves_

_With quite so little hair_

_I'm gonna be the main event_

_Like no king was before_

_I'm brushing up on looking down_

_I'm working on my roar_

_Thus far, a rather uninspiring thing_

_Oh, I just can't wait to be king_

_You've rather a long way to go, young dwarf, if you think-_

_No one saying, "do this"_

_Now when I said that, I_

_No one saying, "be there"_

_What I meant was_

_No one saying, "stop that"_

_Look, what you don't realize_

_No one saying, "see here"_

_Now see here!_

_Free to run around all day_

_Well, that's definitely out_

_Free to do it all my way_

_I think it's time that you and I_

_Arranged a heart to heart_

_Kings don't need advice_

_From little wizards for a start_

_If this is where the monarchy is headed_

_Count me out_

_Out of service, out of Erebor_

_I wouldn't hang about_

_This dwarf is getting wildly out of wing_

_Oh, I just can't wait to be king_

_Everybody look left_

_Everybody look right_

_Everywhere you look I'm_

_Standin' in the spotlight_

_Not yet!_

_Let every creature go for broke and sing_

_Let's hear it in the herd and on the wing_

_It's gonna be King Thorin's finest fling_

_Oh, I just can't wait to be king_

_Oh, I just can't wait to be king_

_Oh, I just can't wait to be king_

At the end of the song, the hobbits laughed and applauded her and Treebeard had returned to pick them up. Climbing back on the Ent's back, they left the open spot behind them. Victoria looked back and smirked at the tree that had briefly taken Merry and Pippin captive in the movies and now hadn't gotten the chance to. She had distracted them too much to even come close to it. 

She listened to Treebeard telling her and the hobbits about how the forest was waking up and getting more dangerous. He told them how they couldn't find the female Ents anymore and that there weren't a lot of them anymore. Victoria briefly wondered if Radagast could help them with that, before filing away that idea for later. "I don't suppose that you have seen Entwives in the Shire or Rivendell?" Treebeard asked them.

Victoria shook her head. "I'm afraid not. I'm sorry." She said. Merry declined having seen them too, before Pippin curiously asked what female Ents looked like. "I.... don't remember." Treebeard confessed after a few seconds. Victoria made a sympathetic face as Treebeard carried them further into the forest. She hoped that the others were alright and if they were headed for Helm's Deep already

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Mostly filler, but I wanted a happy chapter after the last one. 
> 
> Read and review. Se you next time.


	5. The road to Helm's Deep

Disclaimer: I don't own anything that you recognise

In the stables, Aragorn and Grace came across a panicked horse. None of the servants could calm it down. Aragorn put his saddle down and went to help, softly speaking Elvish to the horse. Grace simply watched in pride as the horse slowly calmed down. She slowly approached it and calmly patted its neck, speaking Elvish as well. She knew whose horse this had been and felt pity in her heart. 

Aragorn smiled at seeing her interact with the horse. "His name is Brego." Éowyn spoke up, making both rangers look at her. "He was my cousin's horse." The princess continued, before looking up as the rangers continued speaking Elvish. Éowyn looked at the two rangers and saw how close they were without seemingly realising it. Aragorn's body was leaning towards the woman, ready to protect her at a moment's notice. 

_'Soulmates.'_ She realised, feeling a pang of jealously. She still hadn't found her soulmate and neither had her brother. She was happy for the two that they had found each other. She walked closer, noticing the woman, Grace if she remembered correctly, stepping a bit closer to her soulmate at noticing her approach. She quickly put some distance between her and Aragorn to show that she wouldn't go after a taken man. 

"I have heard of the magic of the Elves, but I did not look for it in two rangers of the north." She commented, still curious about how they knew the language. Grace seemed to realise what she was doing and smiled at her. "Aragorn was raised in Rivendell and me and my friends sought refuge there, until we could protect ourselves." She told the princess and she nodded in understanding, before Aragorn told her to set the horse free. It had seen enough. 

Grace decided to help Éowyn with it as they set the horse free. "How long have you known each other?" Éowyn asked and Grace smiled. "Years. We met when I was 21." She answered and Éowyn looked her over. She seemed about forty years old. "So, twenty years then?" She asked and Grace laughed as they walked back to the main hall. "That times three." She replied, making the woman stumble.

"You cannot be ninety." She breathed in shock. "Ninety-one, actually. Blame Aragorn" Her companion piped up. Éowyn let out a shocked laugh as they continued on. They kept talking as Éowyn got a sword from a chest. "Do you know how to handle a blade?" She asked teasingly. Grace smirked as she pulled her own sword. The two women circled each other for a few seconds, before Éowyn struck first.

They chased each other through the hall, making sure not to harm anyone or break anything. Grace twirled around to dodge an attack and went to strike herself, when a cough interrupted them and made her stop with her sword raised. Looking up, she saw Aragorn looking at the two of them with a dry expression. "If you do not mind, my ladies, we're in the middle of an evacuation." He said, although he couldn't stop his voice from showing his amusement at seeing his soulmate so carefree, especially after her previous feelings about the woman.

Grace and Éowyn meekly putted their swords back into their scabbards, feeling like caught children. Walking towards Grace and wrapping his arm around her, Aragorn talked with the princess for a bit. Éowyn told them that she feared to be locked into a cage, but Aragorn reassured her that it wouldn't happen. Éowyn smiled at him in gratitude as Eva walked into the room with a heavy chest.

"Hey Grace. Help a friend out, wil you?" She asked and Grace walked over to her with a laugh, grabbing one handle and helping her carry it out of the room. Éowyn and Aragorn watched them go. "You are very lucky with her." Éowyn commented and Aragorn's smile grew at that. "I know." He simply said, his eyes full of love. The princess saw it and hoped that her soulmate would look at her like that one day. 

Once everyone was ready, they got on their horses and left Edoras behind for now. Éowyn found herself walking next to the horse of Gimli and James. "It's true, you don't see many dwarf women. And in fact, they are so alike in voice and appearance that they're often mistaken for dwarf men." Gimli was telling her. The princess looked around to where Aragorn and Grace were riding. "It's the beards." Aragorn whispered, making a gesture with his hand. 

"This, in turn, has given rise to the belief that there are no dwarf women and that dwarves just spring out of holes in the ground, which is of course, ridiculous. But then again, we cannot all be lucky to have a beautiful elf maiden as our soulmate." Gimli continued, having been oblivious to Aragorn's actions and pointing at James to show who he meant with that as Éowyn laughed loudly. 

Giving his friend a look, James suddenly spurred his horse on into a gallop, surprising the dwarf and making him fall off the horse's back. Éowyn quickly ran towards him and helped him up as James turned around. "I'm sorry. What was that, my friend?" He asked, looking down at a grumbling Gimli from his horse. Théoden went to ride next to Aragorn and Grace, looking at Éowyn with a pensive look on his face

"I haven't seen my niece smile for a long time and thanks to you, she has done this twice now." He commented. He had heard about the friendly, impromptu sword fight and how much fun Éowyn apparently had during it. He went on to tell them the tragedy of her family and how she had to take care of him, while it should have been the other way around. Self-disgust was clear in his voice. 

A while later, they set up camp and Éowyn approached Aragorn and Grace with a small cauldron with stew. She furiously tried to keep the smile of her face. Unknown to many people, she knew that this stew was terrible. An envoy from Gondor had once said that it was the worst stew that he had ever tasted, not knowing that it had been made by her. After that, she had asked the cook to teach her how to make a proper stew. 

However, when she felt mischievous, she made her old stew and gave it to people to see their reactions. She was very curious about how the rangers would react. "I made some stew. It isn't much, but it's hot." She said, carefully filling a bowl and giving it to Aragorn. Grace declined, saying that she was full. Both women carefully gauged the man's reaction as he took his first sip and both tried not to laugh at his face. 

Quickly pretending to like it, Aragorn nodded. "It's good." He muttered. "Really?" Éowyn asked, acting skills on point. She started to turn around and Aragorn tried to throw the stew away. However, the wind came from behind him and Éowyn heard it. "My uncle told me a strange thing." She started, turning back around and forcing Aragorn to quickly stop what he was doing. Grace turned her head away and desperately tried not to laugh. 

Even Éowyn had to bite her lip to prevent laughter at the brief look of despair on the male ranger's face. Leaving him alone to deal with Éowyn and her stew, Grace went to find James to find him throwing small rocks into one of the fires. "You okay?" She asked, sitting down next to him and nudging him with her body. James sighed. "I just miss Arwen. You and Eva are lucky that your soulmates are literally in the Fellowship or what's left of it. I guess that I'm a bit jealous." He told her.

Grace rubbed his back. "You'll see her again soon. I just know it." She reassured him and he smiled at her in gratitude. Suddenly, Grace came up with an idea. "You're always free to kiss Aragorn, if you want." Grace said, laughing when her friend sputtered. "I didn't mean it like that!" He protested, making Grace lean back and hold her stomach in laughter. James scowled at her. "Not funny." He muttered, despite his efforts to stop a smile from growing.

Grace simply giggled in reply as Eva joined them as well. "What's so funny?" She asked. "Oh, nothing. Grace is just messing with me." James muttered, gesturing to a still snickering Grace. Eva gave her a mock scowl. "I thought that was my job." She said, making her brother and friend laugh again, before finally calming down. "You think Victoria is alright?" James asked. Grace let out a scoff.

"She's probably more alright then we are about to be at that stupid fortress." She muttered, not wanting to scare anyone. Both siblings agreed with that, before a grumpy Aragorn walked towards them. "Did you enjoy your stew?" Grace asked teasingly once she had noticed him and Aragorn gave her a scowl as James and Eva laughed, realising what had happened. "You could've warned me that her stew was going to be terrible." He muttered.

Grace simply chuckled as she stood up and gave him a kiss on his cheek. "I could've, but your face was way too hilarious to pass out on." She replied and Aragorn gave her an unamused face, before seeing her yawn and her eyelids droop slightly. Smiling again, he took her hand and pulled her to a tree for rest. Grace wished her friends goodnight, before following Aragorn, just as Legolas walked up to them. "Aragorn didn't look happy." He commented, sending the siblings into another fit of laughter.

Legolas watched them in confusion. Still giggling, Eva stood up and took her soulmate's hand to find a place to sleep, bidding her brother goodnight. James watched them go, a pang of jealousy in his chest. He laid back and closed his eyes, hearing his soulmate's voice lulling him to sleep. Falling asleep, he dreamt of the one woman that he loved more than anything

Eva and Legolas found a slightly secluded spot where they could rest. Eva told her soulmate about the stew and even Legolas had to laugh. Lying down, Eva rested her head on his chest. "I feel sorry for James. When Victoria was around, he at least had someone, who was kind off in the same boat and now, he has to watch us being all protective and romantic and he can't do the same with his own soulmate." She muttered. 

"He will see her again soon, my love. If Victoria can wait sixty years, then he can wait until our quest is done." Legolas stated and Eva had to agree with that, before yawning. Legolas smiled at her, before starting to stroke her hair. _"Gi melin, Cuilwen."_ He whispered and she smiled. _"Gi melin, Meleth nín."_ She replied, before closing her eyes and falling asleep, feeling safe in her soulmate's arms and listening to his heartbeat. 

Grace and Aragorn settled down for the night as well, although Aragorn planned to stay awake to watch over her and the others. "I'm sorry about the stew." Grace apologised and he smiled. "You're forgiven, but warn me next time that there is bad food approaching." He said and she laughed, before nodding. Looking at her, he brought his hands up to frame her face, fingers not quite touching her skin. 

She smiled at him, before leaning forwards and kissing him. Breaking apart, he rested her forehead against hers. She nudged her nose and he chuckled. Seeing that something was troubling him, she tilted her head and frowned. Seeing it, he simply sighed and looked down. "I feel like my path has been hidden from me and I do not know what to do or trust." He confessed and Grace smiled at him. 

"If you can't trust anything, trust in this." She whispered, putting his hand above her heart and looking up at him. "I told you long ago that I do not care who you are. You are my soulmate and that's all that matters to me. Your path is yours to choose" She told him. He smiled at her and pulled her closer, burying his face in her hair. Grace rubbed his back, kissing the side of his jaw

Pulling away, they sat down against a tree and Grace automatically rested her head on his chest, draping herself over him. Aragorn wrapped his arms around her and carded his fingers through her hair. He once again had had a nightmare in the night before and had to reassure himself that she was there with him, alive and well. "I love you, Eruanna." He whispered. "I love you too, Aragorn." Grace whispered, before closing her eyes and falling asleep

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This chapter became so big that I saved the warg fight for next chapter. 
> 
> Éowyn is actually one of my favourite characters and I hate love triangles, so you won't find any of that here. 
> 
> Read and review. See you next time.


	6. Wargs and CPR

Disclaimer: I don't own anything that you recognise.

The next day, they were on their way again. They talked with Éowyn for a bit, when they heard screaming in the distance and Grace stiffened, knowing that the wargs had arrived. They, legolas, Eva and James quickly ran towards the source, Legolas killing the beast and its rider. Aragorn and Grace quickly ran back with Eva, just as Théoden rode up to them. "What is it? What do you see?" The king asked. 

"Wargs! We're under attack!" Aragorn screamed, making the people of Rohan panic. He grabbed the reins of his horse and turned to grace. "Help them get to safety." He ordered, just as Théoden gave the same order to a reluctant Éowyn. Grace shook her head. "I'm not leaving you." She says stubbornly. "There's no time to argue. They need someone to protect them. Go!" Aragorn replied sternly.Grace bit her lip and pulled him closer for a passionate kiss.

"You better come back to me." She whispered after they had separated. Eva had shared a quick glance with Legolas and he had nodded at her, telling her to go with them. She grabbed Grace's arm and pulled her along, leading the people to the lower parts of the mountain. With Grace safe, Aragorn jumped on his horse and charged at the incoming wargs with Théoden, Gimli, James and some the remaining soldiers. Sharing one last look with her soulmate, Grace helped leading the people to the fortress.

Gimli had switched horses, so he was sitting on the horse of Legolas. The prince in question already shot a warg or two, before the horses reached him and he jumped on his horse, landing in front of Gimli. After that, it was pure chaos. They killed several wargs, but for every warg that fell, two soldiers were killed. James did his best to protect as many as he could. Seeing another group incoming, James to decided to use a new trick that he had learned. 

He made his horse rear and at the minute that the horse's hooves hit the ground again, he moved his fist down quickly, making the earth move in a wat that almost made it look like waves on the sea. The incoming wargs were flung into the air, landing harshly on the ground. James smirked smugly, before killing the next warg. The fight was brutal, but quite short, mostly thanks to his new move.

After the last warg was killed, James looked around over the battlefield, something nagging at his mind. "Have you ever had the feeling that you're forgetting something incredibly important, but you don't know what?" He asked Théoden, who was riding up to see if he was alright. The king chuckled. "More times than I wish to admit, I'm afraid." He replied, making James smile for a second.

However, his smile disappeared when he heard Legolas and Gimli call Aragorn's name. "Oh, dear. I just remembered." He muttered, wanting to hit himself on the head for forgetting. A dying orc told them that Aragorn had fallen over the edge, holding the leaf clasp in its hand as proof. Théoden and James quickly ran to the edge and looked down, not seeing anything, but a fast streaming river.

"Oh, Grace is going to kill me." The latter whimpered as Legolas and Gimli joined them at the edge. "She's going to kill all of us and we would deserve it too." Gimli muttered softly, looking down as well. Théoden ordered his remaining men to help the wounded on horses and to leave the dead, making Legolas look up at him. They slowly followed the king, wondering what the women would say.

In the meantime, the people had reacted Helm's Deep, where several refugees were already there, waiting for them. They watched as the children that had warned them were reunited with their mother, Grace and Eva looking down at the sight, missing their own mothers. As they were helping people with the food that was left, they heard the others finally returning and quickly ran to greet them.

Legolas immediately jumped off his horse and took a relieved Eva in his arms, lifting her up and spinning her around. Éowyn noticed the small amount of soldiers that had returned, but Théoden noted that their people were safe and that was the most important. Gimli slowly approached Grace, his expression telling her all that she needed to know. Glaring at a sheepish James, Grace gripped her staff and stormed towards the outer walls. 

"Grace? Where after you going?" Eva asked, seeing her friend leave and quickly following her with James, gimli and Legolas on her heels. "Where do you think?! I'm going to get my soulmate back." Grace hissed in reply, arriving at the outer wall and getting ready to unfold her glider. "Gandalf said not to take to the air." James reminded her and Grace glared at him. "Gandalf isn't here right now." She said shortly, before unfolding her glider. 

Théoden and Éowyn, who had followed them as well and had not seen her glider before, couldn't stop their awed looks. Grace looked at her friends, daring them to stop her. "He's still alive. I know it and he's all alone with Saruman's army drawing closer. I'm going to find him and you can't stop me." She told them stubbornly, before getting in the right position and shooting herself into the air.

The rest watched her go, until she was but a spot in the sky. "I hope that she finds him." James muttered, before remembering something else and running down the stairs. He quickly found the fateful drain and used his powers to mostly close it on the outside, only leaving it open enough for the water to stream out. "Try to get your powder in this, Saruman." He muttered, before going further to find any other weak points. 

High in the sky, Grace flew over hills and grasslands for several hours, until she found the river. She quickly dove to it, only pulling up a few feet above the water. She followed the stream, until she saw something floating in the water. Grace felt her heart stop in both relief and dread at realising that it was a motionless Aragorn. Folding up her glider in mid-flight, she dove into ther frigid water and swam towards her soulmate.

Wrapping one arm around his chest, Grace put her staff between her teeth and used her feet to literally propel them to the shore. Climbing out of the water and pulling him on shore, she frantically searched for a pulse, sighing in relief at finding one. She started to perform CPR on him, trying to wake him up. Her parents had forced her to do a class on it and she was thankful for it now. "Come on, _Meleth nín_. Wake up. Gondor needs its future king. I need you." She whispered, before leaning forwards and kissing him.

Pulling back, she sighed in relief at hearing Aragorn groan and seeing him slowly open his eyes. At first hazy, his blue eyes slowly focused on her. _"Eruanna?"_ He breathed and she smiled. "See what happens when you don't let me go with you?" She asked, almost giggling in relief. Aragorn let a small smile show and weakly raised his hand. She grabbed it with her free hand and kissed his knuckles, gripping it tightly.

"You're okay." She whispered in relief. Aragorn smiled at her. "Of course. I had to see your face again." He replied, making her giggle. "Always charming, even after almost dying." She said. Hearing hooves coming closer, Grace quickly turned around. "Brego." She said in relief, recognising the horse that they had set free. With some help from the woman, the horse laid down for grace to get the still weak Aragorn on its back.

Brego stood up and Grace jumped on its back in front of Aragorn. The man weakly wrapped his arms around her waist, trusting her completely. They rode back to Helm's Deep, only to stop atop of a mountain and see Saruman's army in the distance. "Oh, God. That's a lot of Uruks." Grace muttered as a more awake and stronger Aragorn made Brego turn around, before they were spotted.

They rode day and night, until they finally reached the fortress and sighed in relief. Getting inside, they were greeted by an ecstatic and relieved Gimli, followed by an equally relieved Legolas, Eva and James. Éowyn noticed their arrival as well. "Oh, Valar. She really did it." She breathed in amazement, looking at Grace in awe. The woman smiled back at her as she and Aragorn went inside to warn the king about the army that they had seen.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A small chapter and heavily focused on Aragorn and Grace, but to make up for it, I'll have a little surprise for you at the end of next chapter. 
> 
> Read and review. See you next time.


	7. Preparing for the fight

Disclaimer: I don't own anything that you recognise.

 _Victoria_. 

_"Mr, I'll make make a man out of you."_ Victoria ended the song under loud applause of Merry and Pippin. "Thank you. Thank you. I'll be here all day. Literally." She replied and the hobbits laughed. She stopped laughing, when she saw smoke in the sky. She carefully stretched herself a bit and saw the armies of Isengard leaving for Helm's Deep. She gulped at seeing the amount and hoped that her friends would be okay.

Seeing the same thing, Merry and Pippin carefully climbed up to her spot and watched the armies leaving as Treebeard told them that Saruman didn't care for growing things anymore. The hobbits shared a solemn look with Victoria, knowing that this was bad news. Their friends were in trouble and they couldn't help them. In the meantime, Treebeard carried them to another open spot.

"We Ents have not troubled about the wars of men and wizards for a very long time. But now, something is about to happen that that has not happened for an age. Entmoot." He told them. Merry asked what it was and Treebeard told him that it was a gathering as several different Ents came into the spot. "Now we must decide if the Ents will go to war." Treebeard said and Merry smirked in excitement. 

They were put down and asked to stand on the sidelines as the creatures talked to each other. "Can you believe it, Pip? They could actually help us." Merry said and Victoria chuckled, knowing how long that was going to say in that language. "Well I'm going to take a nap, wake me when they finished saying "good morning."" She said, starting to lie down in the shadow. "How long will that take?" Pippin asked. 

"Oh, around nightfall." Victoria answered, making herself comfortable. "Nightfall?!" Merry hissed and Victoria hummed in confirmation as she closed her eyes. Merry sat down with a defeated huff. "Well, seems like we're going to be here for a while. Do you think that Victoria can teach us more songs when she wakes up?" Pippin asked to distract his friend and Merry couldn't suppress his smile fully. "I bet that she would be glad to." He replied. Behind them, Victoria showed a tiny smile, before falling asleep. 

Several hours later, they were still watching the Ents, before something drew their attention. A tiny, scared moan from behind them. They turned around and saw Victoria move around in her sleep, her expression troubled. It was clear that she was having a bad dream. Both hobbits quickly walked over and tried to shake her awake. After a few seconds, she shot up straight with a gasp, startling them and making Treebeard turn around in concern.

"Are you alright, little human?" He asked. "I'm fine, Treebeard. Just a bad dream. Go on." Victoria quickly waved it off and the Ent turned back around to continue his slow conversation. "What was it about?" Pippin asked, concerned as well. It took several seconds, before Victoria answered. "My soulmate seeing my powers.... and calling me a freak." She muttered, resting her head on her knees.

She suddenly found herself with two arms full of hobbit as Merry and Pippin quickly hugged her, not wanting to see her sad. She smiled at their sweet and adorable action and hugged them back. "That will never happen, Victoria. I just know it." Pippin said confidently and Merry agreed. "And if it does happen, we will kick his behind for you and I'm sure that our friends will too." He replied 

Victoria softly chuckled at the mental image of the two small hobbits kicking the ass off whoever was her soulmate, but she appreciated the sentiment. She still hadn't seen his face and she had no idea who it was. "Can you sing a song for us?" Pippin asked and Victoria nodded. Seeing the sun go under, she decided to do a slower song than before. She thought of several songs, before settling on one. 

_Tale as old as time_

_True as it can be_

_Barely even friends_

_Than somebody bends_

_Unexpectedly_

_Just a little change_

_Small to say the least_

_Both a little scared_

_Neither one prepared_

_Beauty and the Beast_

_Ever just the same_

_Ever a surprise_

_Ever as before_

_And ever just as sure_

_As the sun will rise_

_Ever just the same_

_Ever a surprise_

_Ever as before_

_Ever just as sure_

_As the sun will rise_

_Tale as old as time_

_Tune as old as song_

_Bittersweet and strange_

_Finding you can change_

_Learning you were wrong_

_Certain as the sun_

_Rising in the east_

_Tale as old as time_

_Song as old as rhyme_

_Beauty and the Beast_

_Tale as old as time_

_Song as old as rhyme_

_Beauty and the Beast_

_Beauty and the Beast_

At the end of the song, both hobbits were asleep and she smiled at them, kissing the top of their heads. "Goodnight, my little buddies." She whispered, having started to call them that and they liked it. Resting back against a tree and closed her own eyes. _'Note to self: make sure that Treebeard sees the ruin of Isengard.'_ She thought to herself as she opened her eyes again and watched the Ents literally talk the day away. 

_Aragorn, Grace, Eva, James, Legolas and Gimli_

After having told the king about the approaching army, he quickly ordered for every abled man to be prepared for battle. Éowyn had to stay with the women and children, only doing so after a conversation with Grace. Aragorn turned to his soulmate. "I have a feeling that you are not going to stay back as well." He stated and Grace smirked. "After what happened with the wargs? No freaking way!" She replied. Aragorn sighed. "I thought so." He said, although he couldn't fully stop his smile

In the armoury, Eva watched as young boys were put in chainmail that was too big. "Most of them have seen too many winters." Gimli commented at seeing some of the men. "Or too few." Legolas continued, seeing the same thing as Eva "They are just children. They shouldn't have to worry about things like this. They shouldn't have to fight for their lives. They're supposed to play, not face the most dangerous race of orcs in existence." Eva muttered. 

Legolas heard her and kissed her temple in an attempt to comfort her. She saw a boy getting handed an axe with tears in his eyes and slowly walked towards him, kneeling in front of him. "Hey there. Are you alright?" She asked in a soft tone, not wanting to scare him and knowing full well that it was an incredibly stupid question. The boy looked up at her. "I'm really scared, my lady." He confessed in a small voice

Eva smiled at him, trying to comfort him. "Well, guess what? I am too." She confided in the boy, who looked up at her in surprise. A strong, warrior lady was scared too? Eva slowly reached up and took off the necklace around her neck. It had been her mother's and a birthday present from when she had turned eighteen. She put it around the boy's neck. "Luckily for me, I had this necklace to protect me and now, it will protect you." She told him. 

The boy smiled at her. "What is your name?" She finally asked. "Baden, son of Badan." The boy, Baden, replied. "Then may the Valar protect you, Baden, son of Badan." She said, standing up and gently squeezing his shoulder. Baden smiled at her, before walking off. _'Valar, if you hear me: please protect that boy and every single one of these poor, unfortunate souls.'_ She thought, before turning back to Legolas. 

She just caught the end of an argument between her soulmate and Aragorn, the latter storming off with Grace following. She gave her soulmate an unamused look, knowing exactly what he had said. "Well freaking done, my darling." She said sarcastically, cuffing him on the back of his head and walking off. James, who had been busy handing out weapons, saw her expression and walked over. 

"Lover's quarrel?" He asked teasingly, making his sister glare at him as they started to get ready. As she was trying to fasten a stubborn strap to her wrist, a pale hand gently took her wrist and helped her with it. "I was wrong to say these things. I was wrong to despair. Forgive me." Legolas whispered and Eva looked at him. "I'm not the one that you should apologise to." She told him. She gave him a tiny smile to show him that she had forgiven him.

Legolas smiled at her and kissed her. "Guys, I'm still here!" They heard James complain and both laughed as they broke apart. Legolas left to apologise to Aragorn and James went over to his sister. "You better survive this or mom will find a way to get to Middle-Earth and kick my ass for not looking after you." He stated and Eva laughed again, before hugging him. "As long as you do the same." She replied.

James chuckled as he rubbed Eva's back. They heard a horn blowing outside and smiled, knowing that reinforcements had arrived. They quickly joined Aragorn, Grace, Legolas and Gimli to see Haldir talking to Théoden, dozens of elves standing behind him. A cloaked Elleth was standing next to him, her hood covering his face. Aragorn hugged Haldir in relief and gratitude, surprising the elf and making the cloaked Elleth hide her giggles.

At the order, the elves went to stand along the outer walls. "How is Boromir?" Eva asked. "He is fully healed of the darkness that was inside of him. Our lady has sent him on another mission. Where, I do not know." Haldir told them and they nodded in understanding, glad that their friend was alright and wondering what this new mission was about, but knowing lady Galadriel, it had to be important James looked around. "Are Elladan and Elrohir not here?" He asked and Haldir shook his head.

"No. They are busy defending their borders against the darkness. Lord Elrond did send someone else in their stead." He replied, gesturing to the cloaked Elleth next to him. They all looked at her. She was wearing elven armour with a sword hanging from the belt and a bow in her hands. She lowered her hood and chuckled at seeing the group going slack-jawed. James was surprisingly the first one to find his voice as he uttered one word. 

_"Arwen?!"_

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Read and review. See you next time


	8. Battle at Helm's deep

Disclaimer: I don't own anything that you recognise.

"What are you doing here?!" James asked, before being cut off by Arwen surging forwards and kissing him. "Aren't you happy to see me?" She asked after they had broken apart. "Of course I am, but it's dangerous!" James protested, holding her close. "With Sauron growing stronger, everywhere is dangerous." Arwen replied in a matter-of-fact tone. "She's got a point there, James." Eva agreed from where she was standing.

James turned to face her, Arwen still in his arms. "Whose side are you on?" He asked and his sister sighed. "Look, all I'm saying is that you complained about not being with Arwen like yesterday, so don't complain about her being here now." Eva replied. Arwen let a teasing smirk show. "He complained about us being separated?" She asked and both Eva and Grace nodded, matching smirks on their faces. 

James rolled his eyes. "Let's just go." He muttered, walking away and pulling his laughing soulmate with him. The others chuckled, before taking their places on the wall. "You could've picked a better spot." Gimli muttered as he was too short to look over the wall. Legolas and Eva smirked, before the latter remembered something. "You know what we could do?" She asked and both elf and dwarf looked at her. 

"Count how many orcs we kill. Let's see who's more superior in a fight." She continued and Gimli immediately smirked. "Get ready to be beaten, lass, elf." He said as he leaned on his axe. Legolas gave him a challenging smirk back, before they finally saw the army approaching. "That's a lot of orcs." Eva whispered. Legolas let go of his bow with one hand and grabbed hers. She gave him a smile as they shared a look that said everything. 

Grace and Aragorn joined them. "Well, lad, lass, whatever luck you two live by, let's hope it lasts the night." Gimli commented as thunder and lightning made themselves known. "Your friends are with you, Aragorn." Legolas said and Gimli looked up. "Let's hope that they last the night." He replied. Both elf and man gave him an unamused look as they were reminded that their soulmates were in a very dangerous place, even if they were with them. 

Aragorn and Grace walked back to their place. Gimli suddenly noticed that Eva's water skin was missing. "Lass, where's your water?" He asked and Eva smirked at him. "If I'm not mistaken, I will have more than enough water to bend." She replied. Gimli gave her a confused look, before another thunderclap was heard and it started to rain. "Oh. Oh, that's good." Gimli commented with a smile. 

Arwen and James were standing on another part of the wall. The Elleth grabbed the man's hand and squeezed it at the amount of orcs. James squeezed back to remind her that he was there and that she wasn't alone. The orcs stopped at several feet from ther wall and just waited. Gimli desperately tried to look over the wall. "What's happening out there?" He asked, jumping up and down to look over the edge. 

"Shall we describe it you?" Eva started to ask and Gimli looked up at her. "Or would you like us to find you a box?" Legolas continued and Gimli chuckled, realising that he walked right into that one. The orcs were starting to bang their spears on the ground "What are they doing?" Arwen asked in a whisper as the humans aimed their arrows and James shrugged. "Trying to strike fear and it will unfortunately work in three... two... one." He whispered as one of the men let his arrow fly prematurely. 

It hit one orc right in the neck and it keeled right over. Despite the serious situation, James let out a snort at seeing the Uruk fall over. This was the sign to attack and the orcs charged. At Aragorn's order, the elves aimed their own arrows. "Remember, the armour is weak at the neck and beneath the arm." James muttered and his soulmate nodded. Aragorn shouted the order and the elves let their arrows fly. 

Théoden followed it up with his own order and the humans shot as well. At Grace's command, the elves behind the wall shot their own arrows. Haldir had been very clear that they had to listen to both rangers and their friends as well as him. The arrows narrowly missed them as they hit several orcs, but more were incoming. In-between volleys, Eva handed her bow to Gimli. "Hold this." She ordered and Gimli nodded.

Taking a deep breath, Eva concentrated and lifted her hands. The rain seemingly stopped as a dome of water appeared around them. Several humans breathed in awe, before Eva moved again, this time far more harsh and fast. "Hiya!" She shouted, gesturing to the incoming orcs. The dome broke up and the water changed into icicles, stabbing several orcs. James softly cheered from where he was standing, despite knowing that it was just the beginning of the battle. 

The orcs started to put up ladders, which was where Grace had been waiting for. Jumping from the backside of the wall and unfolding her glider mid-air, she flew to one side of the wall, completely ignoring her soulmate's protests. Quickly turning around and flying the length of the wall back, Grace took a deep breath and blew. This created storm-like winds and blew several ladders back down again. Still, several orcs made it up to the wall and the elves pulled their swords, starting to fight them.

James and Arwen were two of those having to fight, their backs touching each other as they fought together. Aragorn fought too as an orc was about to attack him, but was blown off the wall by an angry Grace. The woman landed next to her soulmate and quickly switched her staff for her sword, starting to fight as well.Eva, Gimli and Legolas were fighting as well, Gimli finally being able to cut the orcs down with his axe

"Legolas! Two already!" The dwarf bragged. "I'm on 17!" The elf replied as Eva killed an orc that was trying to sneak up on the prince. "28!" She shouted. Gimli and Legolas shared a look, before upping their game. They were not going to let Eva beat them. "I will let no pointy- ear and his soulmate outscore me." Gimli stated as he killed another orc. Hearing Aragorn shout about orcs at the causeway, James lifted his leg and stomped on the ground.

The causeway started to ripple, stones shooting up in a waving motion and launching orcs into the air. _"James! What are those?!"_ Arwen shouted in Elvish, seeing the orcs put something down in front of the wall after looking for something. James looked up, which turned out to be a mistake. An orc managed to knock him on the head and make him fall off the backside of the wall. Arwen screamed his name, before fighting even harder.

Eva heard her scream and shared a look with Legolas. "Go!" The prince ordered and Eva took off, fighting orcs along the way. Arwen did the same and they arrived at James's unconscious body at the same time. Arwen quickly explained what had happened and hearing Aragorn shouting at Legolas, Eva made a quick decision. "Watch it! It's gonna get cold!" Sh warned, before bending the water around them and turning it into ice.

Just in time as the wall exploded, rocks hitting the ice without cracking it. Aragorn was blasted off the wall and knocked unconscious as well. Grace quickly jumped down the wall, using her powers to soften the landing. With James and Aragorn out of commission for a bit, orcs stormed the causeway once again. Other orcs tried run through the new hole in the wall, but Eva melted the ball of ice and used the water to drive them away.

A pissed off Grace stood in defence of her unconscious soulmate, helping her friend by literally blowing the orcs away. James and Aragorn woke up around the same time and got up as quickly as they could. At Aragorn's order, the elves released a last volley, before charging at the orcs. Grace, Eva, James and Arwen were among them. During the fighting, Eva saw her soulmate surfing down the stairs on a shield and would've rolled her eyes if she wasn't so busy fighting.

That's when they heard the order to retreat. She and Grace shared a look and the blonde woman nodded, before using her powers to jump on the wall. "Grace!" Aragorn shouted as he tried to fight his way to her. Eva and Legolas had to drag a struggling Gimli away from the battle. James grabbed Arwen's hand as they ran back to the keep. Grace and Haldir fought side-by-side. The woman turned aand killed the orc that would've killed the elf as Aragorn joined them.

Sending Haldir to the keep, Aragorn shared an unamused look with Grace. "How can you ensure me that you won't die, if you keep pulling dangerous stunts like this?!" He shouted over the fighting. Grace gave him an unrepentant smirk, before killing off another orc. "Because you trust me and love me." She shouted back and Aragorn gave her another look, before continuing the fight.

Seeing the ladder, Grace smirked. "Wanna join me in one of my stunts?" She asked. Aragorn glanced at her and saw her look at the ladder. "You are absolutely crazy, you know that?" He asked and she smiled at him, before they defeated the last few orcs and jumped on the ladder. Grabbing each other's hand, they pushed off the ladder from the wall and fell into the army of Uruks

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Tomorrow, back to Victoria and perhaps the day after that, back to here if it doesn't fit in one chapter.
> 
> Read and review. See you next time.


	9. Never piss off the trees

Disclaimer: I don't own anything that you recognise.

After several hours, Treebeard finally turned to the now awake trio on the ground and the hobbits perked up. "We have just agreed." Treebeard told them. "About what?" Victoria asked, knowing that he wasn't going to say anything further until prompted. "Well, I have told your names to the Entmoot and we have agreed that you are not orcs." The creature continued. "No shit, Sherlock." Victoria muttered sarcastically. 

Merry asked about their decision about Saruman and Treebeard again told him not to be hasty. "Hasty? Our friends are out there. Victoria's soulmate is out there. They need our help." Merry protested. Victoria smiled at hearing him worry about her. Treebeard told them that it took a long time to say something in their language. As he turned back around, Merry flopped back down on the ground. 

Pippin rubbed his back, before trying to distract him. "Victoria, what qualities do you want your soulmate to have?" He asked and Victoria hummed in thought. "Good question. I guess that I want him to be kind, strong, brave, loyal, smart and caring." She replied. Both hobbits smiled at that. "Those are some noble qualities." Merry commented and Victoria smiled at him in gratitude, before focusing on the Ents again. 

A while later, they had reached the decision to stay out of the war. "But you're part of this world! Aren't you? You must help, please! You must do something." Merry pleaded, but the Ents didn't listen. Treebeard told them that their part in the story was over. As Merry put his coat back on, he turned to Victoria. "Why didn't you say anything?" He asked and Victoria gave him a small smile in answer.

"Even the most stubborn of creatures can change their mind when seeing something terrible." She said vaguely. Merry frowned in confusion and Victoria gave him a wink, before Pippin spoke up and said that maybe, Treebeard was right and that they still had the Shire. Victoria sighed at that. "Pippin, if Sauron and Saruman win, there will not be a Shire." She told him and he fell silent at that, not having thought about it. 

Victoria smiled sadly and hugged him, secretly whispering somethingin his ear. Pippin frowned in confusion, but nodded anyway. A little bit later, Treebeard came to pick them up and carry them to the forest's edge. "I will leave you at the western borders of the forest. You can make your way north to your homeland from there." He told them. 'If we don't run into orcs on the way back.' Victoria thought dryly, before giving Pippin a small nudge with her foot. The hobbit immediately perked up. "Wait! Stop! Turn around. Take us south." He said. 

"South? But that will lead you straight past isengard." Treebeard protested. Pippin nodded, starting to see why Victoria told him to say this. "Yes. Exactly. If we go south, we can slip past Saruman unnoticed. The closer we are to danger, the farther we are from harm. It's the last thing he'll expect." He reasoned, looking up to Victoria with a smile. The woman nodded back at him, seeing that he had understood. 

"That doesn't make sense to me. But then, you are very small, even Victoria. Perhaps, you're right." Treebeard commented, starting to turn. Victoria scowled at the comment about her being small, before remembering exactly how tall Treebeard was. "South it is, then. Hold on, little Shirelings and human. I always like going south. Somehow, it feels like going downhill." Treebeard told them as he started walking in the right direction. 

"Are you two mad?" We'll get caught." Merry protested, having seen his friends look at each other. "No, we won't, Merry. Not this time." Victoria told him confidently, as Treebeard walked through the forest. During ther walk, she stretched her fingers and made several movements with her hands in practice. She was ready to give Isengard a beating of a lifetime as the forest's edge came in sight.

Treebeard was telling them a story about field mice, when he saw the devastation that Saruman had created and gasped. "Many of these trees were my friends. Creatures I had known from nut and acorn. They had voices of their own" He said sadly and Victoria looked down. "I'm really sorry, Treebeard. I'm afraid that a certain wizard needed fuel for his machines." She told him sincerely 

This made Treebeard focus his attention on who was responsible for this. "Saruman. A wizard should know better." He growled, literally shaking with anger. He let out a loud roar that echoed over the entire forest. "There is no curse in Elvish, Entish or the tongues of men for this treachery." Treebeard said after he was done with his roar. "How about "back-stabbing asshole?"" Victoria suggested.

"That is still far too light." Treebeard commented "Look! The trees! They are moving!" Pippin called, seeing the trees starting to go somewhere. "Where are they going?" Merry asked. "They're going to Helm's Deep to help our friends." Victoria told them and they smiled. "They indeed do have business with the orcs. My business is with Isengard tonight with rock and stone." Treebeard said as several Ents walked out of the forest and joined them. 

"Come, my friends. The Ents are going to war. It is likely that we are going to our doom. The last march of the Ents." Treebeard said as they slowly started to walk towards the tower and Merry shared an excited grin with Victoria, now finally knowing what she had meant with her words. Victoria give him a grin back. "Never piss off the trees, my little buddies." She advised. The hobbits chuckled.

Arriving at the wall surrounding Isengard, Victoria looked down at Treebeard. "May I have the first hit?" She asked and Treebeard nodded. "Go ahead, my friend. Although, I wonder if you have the strength to get through that wall." He said as Victoria carefully stood on his back. Concentrating on the anger of the Ents and her own anger, Victoria opened her hand to create the biggest fireball ever made. She didn't notice her necklace and eyes glowing slightly, but Merry and Pippin did and their eyes widened.

Careful not to touch any of the Ents, Victoria threw the fireball at the wall. It exploded and left a big hole. Merry and Pippin cheered as Victoria's eyes stopped glowing. The Ents marched into Isengard, surprising the orcs. They stormed the gates and used the stones from the wall to crush them. In the meantime, Pippin looked up to his friend. "Victoria, your necklace and eyes were glowing." He told her and she looked down at him in surprise.

"They were?" She asked, before looking at the crystal hanging from her necklace. Letting it go for now, she focused on throwing fireballs at the orcs and the wooden stalls, burning them down. "Treebeard, give Merry and Pippin some small rocks. They're lethal with those." She advised and Treebeard obeyed, plucking several small rocks from the ground and giving them to the two hobbits, who quickly used them to knock the orcs out. 

Seeing one of the Ents being brought down by the orcs, Treebeard lifted a piece of the wall and threw it at the orcs. Victoria looked at the tower and saw Saruman looking at the ents in shock, not having expected this. Victoria waited until he had spotted her, before lifting her hands and flipping him off with her middle fingers. "Suck it Saruman!" She shouted, before creating a fireball. "This is for my friends." She muttered, throwing it towards the wizard.

It narrowly missed, but was enough to startle him. How was this possible? They had told him that they had lost their powers after the Battle of the Five Armies. Had they known that he would work for Sauron? No, that was impossible. No one had knowledge of the future, not even him. How could four normal humans possibly know more than him? Unfortunately for Saruman, his pride would be his downfall. 

Seeing the orcs setting one of the Ents on fire, Victoria quickly used her powers to douse it. The Ent turned to her and grunted its gratitude, before continuing its attack. Treebeard ordered several Ents to break the dam and they did so. The river flooding towards them. "Hold on, my little buddies!" Victoria warned as she tightly held onto Treebeard, even quickly repositioning herself to clench the stump that she was sitting on with her legs. 

"Hold on, little hobbits and human!" Treebeard repeated as the water reached them. Even Treebeard reared back by the strength of the water. It flooded the grounds and the caves that Saruman had used to breed his army. "Don't you love it when a villain's plan comes crashing down around them?!" Victoria shouted over the noise and her friends nodded as they looked on in amazement. 

Once everything had calmed down, Treebeard put them down on the flooded ground at the edge of Isengard as he had to check on everyone. Merry and Pippin watched Saruman and another man look around in complete panic, not even noticing Victoria wading off as the water only reached her calfs. "He doesn't look happy, does he?" Merry asked and Pippin agreed. "Still, I suppose the view would be quite nice from up there. What do you think, Victoria?" Merry asked, turning around and frowning at not seeing her beside him.

"Hmm?" Victoria hummed as she walked back, her mouth full of apple. The hobbits looked up at her in surprise. "Where did you get that?" Pippin asked. Victoria pointed to the room behind them, before swallowing." That storeroom over there. It's full of food and has two barrels of Longbottom Leaf." She told them. The hobbits looked at the room, shared an excited look and ran towards it as best as they could. Victoria chuckled, before taking another bite from the apple.

She looked at the tower and grinned at seeing Saruman and Wormtongue still panicking around on the balcony. "A wizard should know better, indeed." She muttered to herself. She hoped that her friends were alright and that she would see them again soon. She smiled at hearing the hobbits laugh behind her. At least, they were safe and Saruman was defeated. She had done her part of the story. She looked down at the crystal from her necklace, lifting it up.

"What is your secret?" She asked softly, before dropping it again. She would find out eventually, just like she would find her soulmate one day. She smiled at an approaching Treebeard. She just had to be patient. Her wait was almost over. She could feel it. Having finished her apple, she went back to the room to check up on the hobbits. She smiled at seeing them having fun, enjoying the peaceful moment while she could. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm back, guys!
> 
> The peak of the heat is over (thank God) and it's much cooler now. 
> 
> This will be the last time that we will see Victoria in this book as we'll go back to the rest for the remainder of it, which is 1-2 chapters max.
> 
> Read and review. See you next time.


	10. Hope returns

Disclaimer: I don't own anything that you recognise.

While dragging Gimli away, Eva saw a familiar face. "Baden." She called and the boy looked up. "Lady Eva." He said. Trusting Legolas to get Gimli into the keep, Eva let go of the dwarf and ran towards the boy, wincing at seeing the nasty wound on his leg. "Okay, no problem. I can heal that. Come on." She said, carefully lifting him up and carrying him to the keep. Once they were inside, she put him down and healed his leg. 

Giving him a quick kiss on his forehead, she ordered him to find his mother in the caves and he obeyed, quickly running away. Eva quickly followed a restocked Legolas up to the top of the keep, breathing heavily as she tried to keep going. Haldir helped them and Eva was glad to see him still alive. Seeing that his soulmate was getting tired, Legolas stayed close to her, shooting at the orcs

The orcs were still storming the gate and it was slowly breaking down. Aragorn and Grace joined them after having fought trough dozens of orcs. Grace's shoulder was bleeding, but they were mostly alright. The orcs were slowly getting in as the soldiers desperately tried to keep the gate shut. "Can't you make a wall or something?" Arwen asked her soulmate frantically, sweaty and keeping her sword up.

"I could, but not without hurting our own men." James replied, breathing deeply and leaning against the wall, still feeling dizzy from his fall. He wouldn't be very surprised if he had a concussion from it. Arwen looked at him in concern. "Rest while you can. You cannot fight like this." She told him. "Wow, by all means, don't sugarcoat it." James tried to joke, but it didn't really work. 

At Théoden's order, Aragorn and Gimli snuck through a backdoor, Grace staying behind to try and blast the orcs away, but she was getting tired as well and the blasts were getting weaker. Ending up close to the gate, Aragorn peeked past the wall to see the attacking orcs. "Ooh, come on. We can take them." Gimli boasted. "It's a long way." Aragorn replied. Gimli looked as well, before looking down.

"Toss me." He said, clearly embarrassed. "What?" Aragorn asked, not really sure if he heard it right. "I can not jump the distance, so you'll have to toss me." Gimli stated. Aragorn nodded, before going to grab the dwarf. "Don't tell the elf." Gimli pleaded, before he did so. "Not a word." The ranger promised him, before grabbing him and tossing him into the horde of orcs, jumping in right after him.

The two of them distracting the orcs, gave Théoden the chance to support the gates with beams. The orcs raised up even bigger ladders to get to the top of the keep. Legolas shot one loose, making it fall back into the orc army. With the gate as secured as it could, Théoden ordered Gimli and Aragorn to get out of there, but an orc grabbed them before they could. Seeing her soulmate in danger gave Grace enough motivation for one more powerful blast, unbalancing the orc and giving Aragorn and Gimli the chance to escape.

Legolas and Haldir threw down a rope and pulled man and dwarf up and over the wall. Realising that they had lost, Théoden gave the order to retreat even further. Arwen and Grace helped James move back into the keep. Legolas, Aragorn, Gimli, Haldir and an exhausted Eva joined them soon enough with the rest of the remaining soldiers. Grace quickly ran to her soulmate and hugged him tightly, knees collapsing in exhaustion. 

Aragorn quickly caught her and gently helped her sinkto the ground. "Rest, my beloved _Eruanna_. I will protect you." He whispered, kissing her forehead, before going to secure the door. Eva and James were no better off as their worried soulmates supported them. Eva leaned against Legolas, taking deep breaths to try and regain oxygen. Haldir quickly went to help with the door, so that Legolas and Arwen could help Eva and James.

"The fortress is taken! It is over." Théoden said in despair. "You said this fortress will never be taken while your men defend it. They still defend it. They have died defending it." Aragorn protested, before asking if there was a way for the women and children to get out of the caves, sticking close to his exhausted soulmate. The captain said that there was a way, but that they would not get far as the Uruk-hai were with too many. 

Aragorn told Théoden to ride out to face the orcs. After a few seconds, Théoden agreed. James said that he was staying behind to guard the women and children, just in case and knowing that it was more dangerous for him to get on a horse in his current state. Everyone agreed and he walked away with a soldier and Arwen. Arriving at the caves, Éowyn quickly walked towards them in worry.

"Is it true? Are they past the gate?" She asked frantically. "Yes, but don't worry. The White Bastard is coming." James replied, surprising the princess with his choice of words. "He means wizard. His head got injured in the fight." Arwen explained, having trouble to suppress her laughter, despite the situation. Éowyn nodded in understanding, before looking at the new arrival in curiosity. "You must be Arwen." She said, having heard about her. 

Arwen smiled and nodded, before helping James to a rock and making him sit down on it, sitting down right next to him. James immediately rested his head on her shoulder and Arwen gently carded her fingers through his hair, happy to be the comforting one for once, even if the situation could be better. Éowyn sat down next to them as they anxiously waited for news about the others.

Above them, Gimli blew on a horn as the others got ready to charge. Eva and Grace had gotten some time to rest and felt slightly better. Despite this, Aragorn and Legolas refused to let them ride their own horses and they were put behind them in the saddle once again. "Fell deeds, awake. Now for wrath, now for ruin and a red dawn. Forth Eorlingas!" Théoden shouted at they charged forward, just as the orcs broke through the door. 

They fought the orcs on their way out, finding themselves on the ground outside of the gates. "Aragorn, look!" Grace shouted and Aragorn looked up, seeing Gandalf in the distance. He was joined by Éomer and his riders. Aragorn grinned as they charged at the orcs, sunlight singing behind them and blinding the foul creatures, giving them an advantage as they waded themselves into the fray. 

After that, the tide had turned. Éomer and his forces were enough to match the orc's forces and many were quickly killed off. The survivors fled into the forest, thinking that they were safe there. Éomer ordered them to stay away from the trees. "Oh, I wanna see this." Eva commented, poking her head from under her soulmate's armpit. "See what?" Legolas asked, before getting his answer as the trees started to shake and the screams of orcs were heard. 

The fight won, the survivors returned and allowed the women and children out of the caves. Legolas helped Eva get off the horse, just as baden came up to them and shyly gave the woman her necklace back, his mother thanking her for saving his life. Eva smiled and nodded at them, before almost collapsing in exhaustion. Legolas managed to catch her and lifted her up in his arms, carrying her into the keep.

Gimli was sitting on a body of an orc. "Final count: 42." Legolas stated, gently putting Eva down. "42? Oh, that's not bad for a pointy-eared Elvish princeling. I myself am sitting pretty on a 43." Gimli bragged. "61, at least." Eva muttered as she leaned against her soulmate. Gimli and Legolas looked at her, both impressed, before Legolas carefully drew an arrow and shot the orc that Gimli sitting on. 

"He was already dead." Gimli stated. "He was twitching." Legolas protested. "He was twitching, because he's got my axe imbedded in his nervous system." Gimli told him with a demonstration. Eva simply giggled at their argument and both elf and dwarf smiled at having cheered her up after such a harsh battle. Legolas nuzzled her hair and she smiled as she closed her eyes and fell asleep against his chest. 

Grace was not much better off as Aragorn carried her inside as well. "It's over, Grace. You can rest now." He whispered as he put her down and went to tend to her wounds. Éowyn managed to get them some bandages and Aragorn wrapped them around the wound, knowing that Eva was too tired to heal it. Once that was done, he carefully wrapped his arms around her and pulled her closer. Grace rested her head against his chest and closed her eyes, quickly falling asleep and Aragorn watching over her, resting but not quite sleeping. 

With the battle done, Haldir and what remained of his company had to return to Lothlórien. This meant that Arwen had to go too, but when the moment came, the Elleth refused to leave. "I have seen the danger now. I am not going back to sit idly, while waiting for news." She stated. "Arwen, your father is going to _kill me_!" James protested. "I will deal with my father when the time is right, but I will not go back." The Elleth replied stubbornly.

Seeing that James was about to protest again, she let a smirk show. "Is this about the reforging of Narsil?" She asked, chuckling at his surprised face. "Grace and I already managed to convince my father to do so before you left. Grace also told him to wait until after a certain battle, which, I presume from her description, was this one." She told him and James sighed as another argument was stripped away. 

Arwen grabbed his hand and held it tightly. "I don't want to say goodbye again, not knowing if this is the last time. I want to make sure that we sail to Valinor together. Will you please allow me that?" She begged him and he sighed. "Alright, but when we reach the final battle, you're staying behind and you'll deal with your father." He reasoned and she agreed with a smile, before hugging him tightly. 

Haldir and his company left, promising to send word to lord Elrond. "I'm in so much trouble." James muttered as he watched them go. Arwen chuckled and squeezed his hand. The others had been surprised to hear that Arwen was staying, but they understood her reasons. "Welcome to Team Free Will. I mean, The Avengers. I mean, the Fellowship." Eva fake stumbled, making the others laugh. 

At dusk, Gandalf, Aragorn, Grace, Eva, Legolas, James, Arwen, Gimli, Théoden and Éomer rode up a hill that looked out over Middle-Earth, seeing Mordor in the distance. "Sauron's wrath will be terrible, his retribution swift. The battle of Helm's Deep is over. The battle for Middle-Earth is about to begin." Gandalf stated. The three couples shared a look with each other as Gandalf talked about how their hopes now rested on Sam and Frodo. 

Grace took a deep breath. They had already gone through a lot and the hardest part still had to come. Then, there was still the matter of Aragorn's nightmares. The fact that he was still having them couldn't mean anything good. She tightened her grip on him and felt him squeeze her hand in response. "I'm here, Grace." He whispered. "I'm here too." She replied with a smile. They were together now and she just had to focus on that. 

Eva bit her lip as she remembered what was coming. The ghost army. The scariest part in the entire trilogy in her opinion. Shelob had been Grace's biggest fear and the army had been her, but where they would not meet the giant spider, they would meet the army. She took a deep breath as she reminded herself that it would not come for a little while. Noticing Legolas looking at her in concern, she smiled and kissed his cheek. Telling him that she was fine and she mostly was. She took a deep breath and relaxed for the moment.

James was deep in thought. Not only were the most dangerous battles of the entire quest ahead, he now also had to look after his soulmate and worry about lord Elrond's reaction once he heard of his daughter's decision. He would do his best to protect her, even if it cost him his life. He felt Arwen hug him from behind and smiled. They were all safe now and that was important. The group rode on, ready to face the battles ahead. 

Miles away, a cloaked figure stopped on the hill overlooking Minas Tirith. He set his jaw and spurred his horse on. He neverr thought that he would enter the city like this, but these were dark times. On the way there, he glanced at Osgiliath and had to fight to urge to go and help the soldiers there. He had been given a mission and he had to focus on that. With ridiculous ease, he got into the city thanks to lady Galadriel's magic and went to prepare.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> And that's the end of another book. 
> 
> Also: two chapters in one day, what?!
> 
> Also, also: kinda ironic that in the former story, someone left and in this one, someone stays.
> 
> Read and review. See you next time.
> 
> P. S. The two chapters are to make up for yesterday and the day before. Tomorrow starts the third story.


	11. Sequel!

Hey guys. 

The sequel is posted! It's called "long live the king!" So go check it out!


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